Page 9 of You Started It

CHAPTER NINE

Axel Dahini is a CEO . A boss . A main character . Apparently he’s also a snack . Basically, and in layman’s terms, what my classmates are trying to tell me when I pass them in the halls, when I’m trying my best to follow along with my lessons, and even in the bathroom stalls, is that he’s a catch. “How did you and Axel meet?” (a.k.a., how did you land him?) is the most popular question, followed closely by “Does he move as well off the dance floor?”

I shrug off their questions and comments because, unlike Axel, I’m not comfortable with attention, and besides, that’s so not the point. The point is to make Ben jealous, and I can’t quite tell if he is.

Since that finger-stroking moment at the amusement park a couple weeks back, he seems to be avoiding me. Avoiding is putting it lightly. I haven’t even crossed paths with Ben since Wonderland. I wonder if he regrets it. Maybe he doesn’t remember it. Or possibly, and this is the explanation I find most feasible, Olivia is keeping him locked in a dungeon in her basement. But it’s not like other dungeons, because this one is painted baby blue and filled with balloons.

Ben stroking my hand on the roller coaster isn’t the only thing that’s been occupying space in my mind. I had a…um…dream about Axel. I bury my head in my pillow even though I’m alone in my room. Ever since I dreamt of him and me doing things , I can barely look him in the eye. Probably because my eyes are so focused on his lips, his strong forearms, and his chest, which he really needs to cover up. It’s like the buttons on his shirts don’t work.

There’s this raw animallike attraction building on my side, and if I don’t get it under control I’m bound to slip up and pounce on him one day—maybe soon (but only if it’s consensual, because I’m a respectful queen).

It’s the last weekend of September and Axel still hasn’t signed the contract. I asked him to come over after his shift but didn’t realize it was Saturday night when I asked him that and now it kind of looks like I invited him over for a date or, worse, a booty call. And that wasn’t my intention. (I don’t think.)

I sit up in bed and grab my notebook, staring at the contract I drew up for Axel and this whole arrangement. I don’t know why he’s so reluctant to sign it; it benefits him too. There are certain things I have agreed to for this partnership to be fair and equal, aside from the things we discussed in my car on the first day of school. Such as items one through five.

Provide $225 cash by winter formal to help pay for the damage I accidentally inflicted on Betty White.

Drive you to and from school until Christmas break.

Occasionally, provided I’ve been given ample warning, drive you to locations within the GTA to help you film TikToks (gas money to be provided).

Pretend to be your girlfriend in front of your family.

Help you get a job to pay for the other half of Betty’s damages—Check!

As per item number one, I keep running into difficulty. Now that I’m no longer helping Amo Eli out at Shawarma Sitty, he’s no longer slipping me hundred-dollar bills at the end of the week. Between gas for my car and my book-buying ban failing miserably (oops, I’ve purchased five more books since I last stepped into the bookstore—paperbacks though, because I’m on a budget), I currently only have one hundred and thirty-five dollars left in my bank account and half a tank of gas. I could try borrowing money from Mom but she’d probably ask too many questions. As it stands, she expects me to make my hundred-dollar-a-month gas budget actually stretch for the entire month. The woman is delulu. I flip to my green to-do list tab and add: find another way to make money!!!

Just as I’m about to reread the part of the contract that goes over what I agreed to do for Axel, Mom’s voice screeches from below, telling me there’s someone at the door. I glance at my phone. Axel still has another ten minutes left in his shift. I’m not even dressed yet. Oh well, it’s probably best he sees me in sweats. It may encourage my silly hormones to behave.

Mom’s eyebrows are knitted together when I reach the bottom of the stairs.

“What’s going on?” I ask, looking around the empty foyer. “You said someone was here to see me.”

She clears her throat as she leans up against the front door. “Ben is outside. I asked him to wait on the porch. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to speak to him.”

Ben is here? Why? And why now, when I look like a total schlump? I swallow and try to play it cool. “Yeah, it’s fine. I’ll go see what he wants.” I slip into my uncle’s too-small slides and step onto the porch. Ben’s seated on the porch swing. He’s in jeans and a black hoodie. His hair is still shaggy but he looks good. Then again, I’d probably think he looked good with a bag over his head.

“Hey.” I lean against the railing across from Ben, keeping a healthy distance between us.

“Hey.” He runs his hands up and down his thighs. “How are you?”

“Fine.” I say it almost like a question. He’s clearly nervous and I can’t help but revel in it. For once, he’s the one who’s anxious. Unsure. There’s a part of me that wants to ask him where he’s been. Call him out on why he’s been avoiding me. Tell him he can’t just stroke my hand and then disappear. Ben’s gaze meets mine briefly and his jaw clenches.

“I’m kind of struggling,” he begins, and immediately my mind starts to fill in the blanks. He misses me. He can’t live without me. Breathing is harder when I’m not around. “I had a bad stomach flu and missed a bunch of school. I’m so far gone that I got a sixty-seven on my last calculus test. You have Mr. Hanna, right?”

He wasn’t avoiding me. He was sick.

“Yeah? Second period.”

“How are you doing in his class?”

“I got a ninety-eight on the last test,” I say proudly.

“You and I both know math has never been my strongest subject, but when we were together, I was able to scrape by with high B’s,” he says. “I’ve been trying to catch up on what I missed but it’s like reading a different language. It also doesn’t help that Olivia is such a big distraction.”

I hold out my hand like a shield. “Spare me the details.”

“I can’t get a C in calculus.”

“Then work harder,” I say.

Ben rises and walks toward me. “Could you help me? Just a couple times a week until I bring my grades up.”

“You’re here because you want me to tutor you?” I know I’m making a disgusted face but I can’t seem to stop myself.

“Well, yeah. You’re the smartest person I know.” He smiles and my facial muscles relax, slightly. Ben Cameron knows exactly what to say to weasel his way into my heart and I hate him for it. Unless…this could be an excuse to get closer to me. First, he strokes my hand on the ride. Next, we’re bumping shoulders in the library as we work side by side. It almost seems too good to be true. Too perfect.

“I don’t know,” I say, turning to face the street and sucking in my cheeks to hide a smile. “I’m kind of busy.”

“I’ll pay you,” he says.

I face him again, the wheels in my head spinning overtime. This could be the answer to all my problems. If I tutor Ben, it means spending one-on-one time with him, which will remind him of our strong connection. And if he pays me, I can use that money to put toward paying Axel back. It’s like God is smiling down at me, for once in my pathetic existence.

“I won’t accept any less than thirty dollars an hour,” I say, squaring my shoulders. “Twice a week, to make it worth my time.”

“Whatever it takes.”

“Does Olivia know you’ve come to me for help?”

“I didn’t think it was worth mentioning until you agreed.” He runs a hand through his hair and I swear he’s trying to flirt. Ben never flirted with me before, but I recognize this gesture because Axel does it all the time to annoy me. He loves to get under my skin. (Dream Axel likes to get under my clothes.)

“Jamie?”

“Yeah?” I say, shaking off those confusing thoughts.

“I asked you how Monday after school works?”

“Monday? I think it’s fine.”

“Great. I’ll meet you at the library.” Ben heads to the steps and turns back. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Looking forward to what?” Axel says, coming out of Eli’s car. I didn’t notice them pull up. He doesn’t waste a second slipping into his role of fake boyfriend as he makes his way past Ben and up the steps to where I’m standing, placing a kiss on my cheek. I lock eyes with Axel and then dart them to Ben.

“Remember to bring a calculator and your textbook. Don’t be late.”

“I won’t. Axel.” Ben nods.

“Benji.” Axel nods back.

Ben stops to speak to Eli and I pull Axel into the house, dragging him to my bedroom.

“Sit,” I say, and he sits on the edge of my bed. I close the bedroom door and pull up my desk chair so we’re face-to-face. “Ben asked me to tutor him.”

“Isn’t he supposed to be a genius?” Axel asks, leaning back on his elbows.

“He’s been sick and he’s fallen behind. He also blamed Olivia for being a distraction. Now he’s completely lost in calculus and needs me!”

“Do you believe him?” Axel has one eyebrow raised and it’s clear he doesn’t.

“Does it matter? Our plan is working. He’s come to me when he could have gone to anyone else. And he’s paying me, which means I’ll have your money sooner than I thought.”

“Nice.” Axel leans fully back onto my bed, resting his head against his hands like he’s marking his territory or something. This is just like in my dream. Axel was in my room, acting like his cocky self, and then I tripped and landed on him, making us both fall into my bed and then…

“Jamie?”

“Yeah?”

“You zoned out again. Were you picturing me naked?”

“What?” I bark out a laugh that even sounds fake to me.

“It’s okay if you were. I am a bit of a TikTok star. I’m almost at one million views for the dance in front of the fountain,” he says with an annoying smirk that’s a little bit sexy.

“Thanks to my amazing filming abilities. Which you didn’t credit me for.”

“Yes,” he says flatly. “It had nothing at all to do with the routine I spent hours perfecting.”

“Actually,” I say, noticing my open notebook just inches away from Axel, and remembering why I asked him to come over in the first place, “let’s go over the contract.”

“You and this contract. Is my word not enough for you?” he asks, shifting onto his side and propping his head up with this hand.

“It’s absolutely not enough for me. Move over,” I say, grabbing the notebook. Axel sits up and leans against my headboard. I join him. “These are the terms and agreements,” I say, placing the notebook in his lap.

“You typed this on the computer, then pasted it into the notebook?”

“Yes. This notebook is my lifeline. Don’t worry, I’ll make you a copy of the contract.”

“Oh good,” he says, deadpan, before cracking a warm smile. He makes his way through the document. “I’m surprised you included everything you said you’d do.”

“My word is gold.”

“I see that.” He clears his throat, then reads his side of the contract:

“1. Pretend to be Jamie’s boyfriend leading up to winter formal.

2. Agree to waive half the cost of the repairs for Betty White to $225. Final payment to be received no later than the eve of winter formal.

3. Find ways to make Ben jealous. Bonus points for orchestrating situations for him to speak to Jamie.”

He stops reading and glances up at me. “Is this it?”

I shrug.

“It’s just there are five items for you to complete on my behalf and I’m only looking at three on my list to do for you.”

“I guess I’m just not as demanding as you are.” I smile.

He smiles back, and once again I’m suddenly very aware that Axel and I are sitting on my bed, alone, together.

“Can I flip through the rest of this notebook or is it private?” he asks.

“Go ahead. I have no secrets.”

Axel flips through the pages, laughing and asking me questions about some of my past goals and marveling about how, up until this year, I’ve managed to check each and every one of them off. Easy enough to do when they’re all mostly academically based.

“Ah, the infamous bucket list branch of the Kill-It List,” he says when he lands on the collage. “You’ve really never been to the aquarium?”

“No.”

“Not the ROM either? Or a hockey game? You’re telling me you never went to the CN Tower, even in grade school?”

“My class did,” I say. “But I begged my mom to let me stay home that day.”

“Because you’re claustrophobic?”

“Yeah. Anyway, we went over this already.”

“Where’s your red pen?” Axel asks.

I reach for it on my nightstand. “Here. Why?”

“We went to Wonderland. Give yourself a check mark. You know you want to.”

“But I was supposed to go with Ben.”

He takes the pen from me and crosses Ben’s name out of the title, changing it from Ben and Jamie’s Bucket List to Axel and Jamie’s . “I’m going to take you to all these places,” he says. Before I can protest, he flips back to the contract and adds a fourth item: Take Jamie to all the locations on her our bucket list.

“Axel.” I shake my head. “That’s going way above and beyond.”

“Nah. These dates will benefit me too. Some of them would be the perfect backdrop for TikToks. And you agreed to film me, so it works out for both of us. We’ll pick a place, post pictures to the gram, which will drive Ben crazy—item number three on my list—and then you’ll film TikToks for me, item number three on your list.”

“I put a lot of places on the bucket list. There’s no way we can do them all before the formal. Plus, some of them are seasonal. Like an outdoor concert at Budweiser Stage. They’re probably closing soon.”

Axel pulls out his phone and googles the concert venue. “We’re in luck. Next weekend is their last concert. Some band called Blue Rodeo.”

“Who’s that? Country singers? Anyway,” I say, pointing to the screen, “the show is sold out.”

“Minor details. Next Saturday don’t make any plans. I am taking you to an outdoor concert at Budweiser Stage to watch Blue Rainbow.”

“Rodeo,” I correct him.

“Whatever. Now go ahead and give yourself a check mark for the Wonderland date. You earned it.”

I did earn it. I take the pen from Axel and give myself a nice red check mark next to the photo of Wonderland. My heart aches slightly seeing Ben’s name crossed out, but when my eyes land on Axel’s name in its place, I’m filled with a rush of excitement and anticipation.

“No CN Tower though,” I say. “I’m not ready for that.” I go to mark a giant red X over the photo but Axel grabs my hand before I can.

“Let’s work our way through the list first. Then we can revisit.”

“Fine. Does this mean you’ll finally sign the contract?”

Axel flips through my notebook in search of the contract. He reaches for the pen in my hand, his fingers grazing mine. We both freeze up at the unexpected contact as our eyes lock. “Does signing this make you legally bound to me?” he asks.

“Would it be so bad if it did?” Clearly, my inner flirt escaped and betrayed me.

Axel tips his forehead to mine. “Sometimes being bad feels good.” He licks his lips and my heart pulses against my rib cage. I want to throw the notebook on the floor and kiss him while running my hands through his curls and…

A knock at my door.

“I’m opening this door in three seconds, so you better be decent,” Mom says.

I bolt up and clumsily sit on my desk chair while Axel chuckles to himself.

Mom opens the door. “I said no boys in your room, Jamie.”

“We were just doing homework,” I say.

“Then leave the door open.”

“Hi, Mrs. Foster,” Axel says, waving from his spot on my bed.

“It’s Ms. Taher.” Mom turns and walks away, leaving an icy chill in her wake.

“Sorry about her,” I say.

“No worries. I better get going,” he says, sitting up. “Got my cousin’s bachelor party tonight.”

“The wedding is soon, right?”

“Two weekends from now.”

“I’ll do it,” I blurt, as Axel rises from my bed.

“Do what?” he asks, rolling his sleeves to reveal his tanned forearms.

“I’ll be your date to your cousin’s wedding,” I say, standing across from him now.

“What about Thanksgiving with Ben?”

I suck in my lips and swallow. “Realistically speaking, I don’t think Ben and I will be back together by then. This has admittedly been a bigger challenge than I’d anticipated.”

“I mean, I’d love for you to come to my cousin’s wedding, but it’s kind of a big ask.”

“Nah.” I grin. “It’s what any good partner would do in this situation. Besides, going could give me an excuse to add another item to my—sorry, our —bucket list. Attend an Arab wedding—bonus event.”

“Yeah?” A wide smile lights up his face.

“Yeah.”

“Awesome. I can’t wait to show you off.”

Before I can reply, Axel is already halfway down the stairs.

After I hear the front door close, I open my laptop and print off calendars. Between tutoring Ben twice a week and going on elaborate dates with Axel and filming TikToks for him, my calendar is filling up faster than Eli does at Armstrong & Wong’s Chinese Canadian buffet.

I’m going to need to keep track of all these social engagements and commitments if I want to pull this off and continue to keep my grades up.

As the calendar pages print, I find a blank page in my notebook and write a note to myself. A little reminder. Stop fantasizing about kissing Axel. Ben is endgame. I skim through my notebook to find Axel’s signature still missing from the contract. Biting back a smile, I tell myself I’ll get him to sign it the next time we’re together.